Church to vet Pope souvenir portraits

Kampala. The Catholic Church leadership in Uganda yesterday issued guidelines for the making of souvenirs for Pope Francis’ visit expected in November.
The Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC), said in a statement that, “All images of the Holy Father have to be approved by the Holy See through the UEC”.
“All intending producers of items have to be approved by UEC through the office of the secretary general at the Uganda Catholic Secretariat in Nsambya,” the statement read.

The Uganda Episcopal Conference is an in-country apex assembly of Catholic leaders and runs the church’s affairs, particularly advancing its pastoral and social work.
Explaining basis for the decision, the executive secretary for social communications at UEC, Fr Phillip Odii, said they wanted to avoid abuse of processes and manipulation of images by some people with intention of making quick sales.
“We are focusing on what is official and we’ll also have points where all genuine souvenirs will be sold,” Fr Odii said.
The Vatican early this month confirmed that His Holiness Pope Francis will make an Apostolic trip to Kenya from November 25 to 27 2015; Uganda from November 27 to 29; and, the Central African Republic from November 29 to 30 in his first African tour.

In Uganda, he will lead the celebrations to mark 51 years since the canonisation of the Catholic martyrs on October, 18, 1964. The martyrs are a group of individuals killed from 1885-87, in and around the present day Kampala, for breaching Buganda King Mwanga II’s orders for them to denounce Christianity.
They belonged to both Catholic and Anglican denominations, and were either set alight or buried at Munyonyo or Namugongo, the biggest religious shrine 13kms northeast of Kampala.